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12 things to know about big changes brewing at Fowler High School, two other Syracuse schools

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Fowler High School students receive their degrees at graduation at the Civic Center last June. The school could be phased out because not enough of its students have graduated in recent years.
(Dick Blume | dblume@syracuse.com)

Three schools in Syracuse are being required by the state to undergo major changes beginning this fall. The school district has said little about its plans, but it is expected to do so at a special board meeting scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Meanwhile, based on a lengthy background interview with a senior state Education Department staffer, here are our best answers to some questions about the changes.

1. Which schools are involved, and why are they in this situation?

The schools are Fowler High School, Hughes Elementary and Delaware Elementary. All three were named "persistently lowest achieving" schools by the state and provided school improvement grants, largely from the federal stimulus program, of about $2 million a year over three years.

None of the schools improved sufficiently over the three years, so they are now required to take dramatic action.

2. What is the district's plan for these schools?

The district has several options to choose from and has not finalized its plans, which must be submitted to the state by April 30.

However, the plan for Hughes Elementary is clear. The school will begin to phase out while a new Syracuse Latin School phases in, with kindergartners and first-graders starting this fall. Within several years Hughes will cease to exist and the Latin School will be a K-5 school.

Fowler High School's fate is less certain, but the district appears ready to begin phasing in a new school this fall that has more of a career and technical focus, particularly in the area of public safety.

Delaware Elementary is the biggest question mark. The district did raise the question with the state of contracting with SUNY to take over responsibility for the education of the school's students, according to a March 4 letter the state sent to the district. If that happens, SUNY would work with the school board and use staff employed by the district.

3. Does that mean the existing schools are closing?

Hughes will officially close in 2018 when the last of its current students move on to middle school. Meanwhile, the Latin School and Hughes will coexist in the same building.

If the district takes the expected path with Fowler and phases in a new school, then Fowler High School will be officially closed by the time the current ninth-graders funnel through. The new school, presumably starting with ninth-graders this fall, would coexist in the same building for a time but would have a different name and a different approach.

If the district uses the SUNY option for Delaware, the school will not officially close, but it would be expected to change dramatically.

4. Has the state closed schools before?

Yes. The state has closed about 100 schools since 1989 because of poor academic achievement, including Shea Middle School in Syracuse. Many other schools across the state have closed voluntarily under pressure from the state. And others have gone through dramatic changes short of closure.

Currently, there are 18 districts with about 220 schools statewide that are labeled "priority schools," which are schools that could be forced to close or change dramatically if they don't improve. Syracuse has 19 of those schools, including Fowler, Hughes and Delaware.

5. What will happen to the staff and leadership of the schools?

There are no hard-and-fast rules about replacing school leadership or staff in these schools. However, state education officials say there must be substantial changes in the schools and their approaches. School leadership, staff and curriculum are among the factors the state will be evaluating.

6. Would the new school at Fowler be called the National Security High School or the Public Safety High School?

Neither. The new school phasing into the Fowler building would have to have a different name, but that name has not been chosen. In fact, "Fowler" could be used as part of the name of the phased-in school.

The term National Security High School was in a draft letter the state released to Syracuse.com but apparently was never sent to the district. State officials say the term "national security" was a misunderstanding on their part.

A second, March 4, letter, used the term Public Safety High School. That focus appears to remain, but it has not been proposed as a name for the school.

7. What is a "public safety high school"?

There is no specific template, although some schools across the country have taken a "public safety" focus. The schools often include classes and training in such things as forensics, emergency medical technology, policing and firefighting. Some involve collaborations and internships with local public safety providers.

All students would still have to meet all state academic requirements, including passing required Regents exams. It is likely that the public safety track would not be the only career track available to students, but it would be a significant focus.

The district is seeking more career and technical education tracks in all of its high schools. On Wednesday, for instance, the board approved an expansion of Henninger High School's health careers program.

8. Has any school taken the SUNY option that has been raised for Delaware Elementary?

No. If the district chooses this option, Delaware would be the first school in the state to use it.

9. Would Onondaga Community College be involved if the district goes with the SUNY option for Delaware?

That's an interesting question. Assistant Education Commissioner Ira Schwartz said in his March 4 letter to the district that if it chose the SUNY option, OCC would be the SUNY entity to take over operation of the school. But state regulations say the SUNY entity must be within the boundaries of the school district. OCC's main campus is not, but the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry is. State officials are awaiting the district's plan before commenting further.

10. Do parents get to be involved in how the schools will change?

Yes. By state education law, "parents, teachers, administrators and community members" must be provided an opportunity to participate in the development of the plan.

State officials will be looking for indications of that involvement in the plan the district submits by April 30. If they don't see it, they could ask the district to explain why, and possibly send it back to do more consultations with those groups.

11. What happens if the state rejects the district's plan?

The state can accept, reject or seek some modification of the plan submitted by the district. Typically, it does the latter, and works with the district until the plan is acceptable.

If the state rejects the plan, the commissioner could impose a plan on the district.

State officials say they would like to have a fully approved plan by sometime in May, or June at the latest.

12. How does the state know if such plans will be effective in raising achievement?

It doesn't. State officials say they use their best judgment in evaluating improvement plans, but some are more successful than others. In some instances, schools have been replaced by other schools that go on to fail in their own right. Then those schools have been replaced.